All people deserve to live in a safe and healthy environment. There are currently more than 1,388 toxic waste sites in the United States that are so dangerous they have been designated as “Superfund” sites by the EPA.

The toxins dumped at these sites seriously endanger the health of people living nearby. Rates of cancer, birth defects and developmental disabilities are all higher in people who live near a Superfund site. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to these toxins. People of color, immigrants, and the poor are overrepresented in communities near Superfund sites.

In 1980, Congress passed a law to protect polluted communities by creating a fund that companies paid into to clean up their mess. The Polluters Pay tax worked, but in 1995, Congress let the tax expire. By 2003, our Superfund was broke. Ever since, cleanup efforts have slowed to a crawl and all of us as taxpayers are left holding the bag (and breathing the air). The money for cleanup now comes from EPA’s own budget, which has been cut dramatically in the last two decades.

Congress must reinstate the Polluters Pay Tax now. Chemical, Oil, Gas and other giant corporations must pay to clean up the mess they made, and continue to make.

As our economy is struggling from COVID-19 and climate change is getting worse, who will pay for the recovery and the solutions? Polluters and large corporations must foot the bill, and there is no time to waste! It is time to #MakePollutersPay !